QLD WIF Event 21/08/15

QLD Women in Franchising Event

Guest speaker: Tina Tower, CEO, Begin Bright

Not your ordinary Gen-Y female, Tina started her first business at the age of 20 and by the time she hit 30 had built and sold 2 businesses, completed a degree, got married, had two children and started in the challenging world of building a National franchise network. Half way through a Primary Teaching degree she saw a gap in the private education market and created her own tutoring centre straight away. Naivety was bliss! Finishing university two years later, Tina decided she loved being in business and could touch children's lives on a more individual level through her school readiness and primary tutoring centre, than in a school so decided to make her life in business.

As children were coming in for tutoring with mostly reading problems, Tina began to develop a school readiness program that was designed to form a solid foundation and love of learning so problems never occurred once at school. This is where Begin Bright was born. To fit around having a family, Tina began licensing the Begin Bright program in 2009 and converted to a franchise system in 2011. Three years in and Begin Bright has launched 13 franchises throughout NSW, VIC and QLD with plans to expand Nationwide in 2014.

Tina was the 2012 winner of the My Business Awards for Women in Business and Begin Bright won the National Overall Winner for Commitment to Excellence. In 2013, Begin Bright took out the Australian Small Business Champion Awards for Educational Services and the Telstra Australian Young Business Woman of the Year in 2014.

Tina has been featured in The Australian, Daily Telegraph, 7 news, The Financial Review, The Australian, Today Tonight, Wake Up on Channel 10 and is passionate about inspiring and giving opportunity to young entrepreneurs. Tina also works with The Hunger Project and is determined to see the end of chronic hunger in her lifetime. Begin Bright is passionate about education across the world and is building a school in Laos with the Room To Read charity in 2016.